Latin American literature has its basis in the languages of Spanish and Portuguese in a majority but also has English texts and translations to give it the universality that it has today.

We’ve heard of Paulo Cohelo and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and perhaps never located their texts with their place of origin. That is the power of their words, to transcend beyond time and space and reach to all readers alike.

So, which novels should one absolutely read to get a taste of the Latin Americans?

1. Labyrinths – Jorge Luis Borges

It is an anthology of some of Borges famous short stories and key essays. One could consider it as a place to start when reading Latin American literature. His stories are told in an extraordinary manner, though they contain some degree of complexity but at the same time elegance as well.

2. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

According to William Kennedy in the New York Times Book Review, this is one of those books that one must essentially read for a better understanding of the human race. It explores Colombian myths and legends through the Buendia family. However, one must have the family tree handy to be able to keep track of who is being spoken about.

3. The Alchemist – Paulo Cohelo

“When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” This infamous quote is from Paulo Cohelo’s The Alchemist, and if you’ve not read it you must. The Guinness Book of World Records holds this book to be translated the maximum time (original language is Portuguese). It is an allegorical novel which follows a youth’s journey to Egypt.

4. The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene

This is one of the author’s masterpieces which is about a Roman Catholic priest who goes on the run in the 1930s Mexico during the Red Shirts’ persecution of the clergy. He goes to the extent of exchanging sacred rites for sanctuary.

5. The Motorcycle Diaries – Ernesto Che Guevara

The story of the revolutionary Che Guevara, it is an autobiographical record of the time when he left Argentina on a motorbike and his travels during the span. He returns a man with a mission, to become the infamous name that he is today.

6. The Savage Detectives – Roberto Bolano

This work echoes many famous other literary texts and people. The protagonist’s name is Ulises and he is a dyslexic who lives a fractured wanderer’s life. The novel is written in 1953, in “the year that Stalin and Dyland Thomas died”, Bolano notes.

7. Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel

An odd combination of realism prevails in this Mexican melodrama which has a magical element in it. The heroine of the novel, Tita, has her emotions spilt into the food that she prepares.

Best Books from Latin American Literature

Latin American literature has its basis in the languages of Spanish and Portuguese in a majority but also has English texts and translations to give it the universality that it has today.

We’ve heard of Paulo Cohelo and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and perhaps never located their texts with their place of origin. That is the power of their words, to transcend beyond time and space and reach to all readers alike.

So, which novels should one absolutely read to get a taste of the Latin Americans?

1. Labyrinths – Jorge Luis Borges

It is an anthology of some of Borges famous short stories and key essays. One could consider it as a place to start when reading Latin American literature. His stories are told in an extraordinary manner, though they contain some degree of complexity but at the same time elegance as well.

2. One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

According to William Kennedy in the New York Times Book Review, this is one of those books that one must essentially read for a better understanding of the human race. It explores Colombian myths and legends through the Buendia family. However, one must have the family tree handy to be able to keep track of who is being spoken about.

3. The Alchemist – Paulo Cohelo

“When you want something, the entire universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” This infamous quote is from Paulo Cohelo’s The Alchemist, and if you’ve not read it you must. The Guinness Book of World Records holds this book to be translated the maximum time (original language is Portuguese). It is an allegorical novel which follows a youth’s journey to Egypt.

4. The Power and the Glory – Graham Greene

This is one of the author’s masterpieces which is about a Roman Catholic priest who goes on the run in the 1930s Mexico during the Red Shirts’ persecution of the clergy. He goes to the extent of exchanging sacred rites for sanctuary.

5. The Motorcycle Diaries – Ernesto Che Guevara

The story of the revolutionary Che Guevara, it is an autobiographical record of the time when he left Argentina on a motorbike and his travels during the span. He returns a man with a mission, to become the infamous name that he is today.

6. The Savage Detectives – Roberto Bolano

This work echoes many famous other literary texts and people. The protagonist’s name is Ulises and he is a dyslexic who lives a fractured wanderer’s life. The novel is written in 1953, in “the year that Stalin and Dyland Thomas died”, Bolano notes.

7. Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel

An odd combination of realism prevails in this Mexican melodrama which has a magical element in it. The heroine of the novel, Tita, has her emotions spilt into the food that she prepares.